A distinctive looking and very pretty timber gate that’s painted a soft grey-green and topped with a pitched terracotta slate roof forms the pedestrian entrance to the Willows, a 1940s bungalow on Mount Anville Road – and it is a good indication of what lies behind.
When the owner spotted it and the For Sale sign 17 years ago while out for a walk, she peered through the timber gate at the impeccable garden (designed by Formality) and the deep timber-fringed porch and was smitten.
The detached house had at that time recently undergone a major refurbishment and extension and, with young children, she and her husband were looking for a turnkey proposition.
“Aside from [updating] the kitchen, bathrooms, floors and generally decorating, we haven’t had to do anything,” she says. In the early days she found herself answering the door to people wondering about the paint colour on the gate – there’s a timber vehicular entrance too – “It’s Farrow & Ball Pigeon,” she says. “I suppose Farrow & Ball was less well known then than it is now so people were curious.”
The detached property extends to 188sq m/2,023sq ft and, with four bedrooms and plenty of living space, is more likely to appeal to a growing family than a downsizer, which can be the traditional market for bungalows.
The work by the previous owners enlarged the dormer space upstairs, so there are four bedrooms up here, the main one with en suite and walk-in wardrobe, as well as the family bathroom.
Downstairs off the hall are two rooms overlooking the front garden, one a TV room, the other a formal living room with dual aspect that opens into a dining room via double doors. The kitchen – with sleek contemporary units – opens into a sunroom, an addition by previous owners and used by this family as a dining room. This opens via French windows out to the garden. Also to the rear is another smaller room – an ideal playroom or home office that has the same oak flooring as the kitchen.
This time around new owners are once again presented with a family home in walk-in condition although as the BER is F – energy ratings weren’t around back then – they may want to explore improving the energy efficiency with an eye to future proofing.
The house is set well back from the road and the landscaped garden surrounds the house; there’s parking space in the front for a couple of cars. The original planting design has been maintained by the current owners and it’s now full of mature shrubs, flowerbeds, its shape delineated by box hedging. A paved patio halfway down the rear garden indicates a pleasant sunny spot.
Living here – the Willows is on the stretch of road near the Foster Avenue intersection – has proven very convenient for the family, the owner says; the home’s walkable proximity to schools and college being a bonus. They now hope to downsize and the Willows is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €1.5 million.
